Dave in Chicago

Ha! Even better, get a beater Porsche. My '88 944 on skinny Biizzaks would climb trees. Drove circles around all the SUV's in that car. Lacked the heated seats and PSM of the Boxster though...

KBell

Doing the same thing.
Just got some 18's Wheel/tire combo for winter.
May Cayman S is my DD.

zanwar

I run Michelin Alpin rubber on the stock 19" rims with stock sizes. The Boxster is just about drivable in snow and ice. There have been moments when I was almost stuck at the kerb because the car struggled to climb out of an icy parking spot. Overall I'm somewhat disappointed with the winter performance of the car, I was expecting more from the mid-engined platform. It's not a fair comparison but my old Targa 4S was unstoppable on winter tires. On cold dry roads the Boxster is fine, and actually a lot of fun because it slides early and progressively. If a dedicated winter car (with winter tires) is an option, do it.

Portiagl

I'm not into owning another car beside my Cayman just yet. I'm going to minimize long distance travel on snow/ice days anyway, I just need to ensure that I can still drive to and from my work and get food to survive lol Still searching classifieds on different Porsche forums + nearby CL.


OH wow :/ I guess everything's relative. I've owned a AWD coupe and FWD mini-SUV before my Cayman. I'll be pretty nervous when the first snowfall hits my city now.

johnnymiz

you really have to manage your expectations here.
tread depth on brand new snows for a Porsche would be considered pretty much bald on m+s tires on an suv.
will snows allow you to drive carefully in icy and snowy conditions? yes. (up to about 3", then your Porsche becomes an expensive snow plow)
with summers your car would simply be undriveable. ice skating doesn't even come close... with ice skates you at least have an edge to grip with.
I drive my boxster all winter.. until we get a decent snow and then after the roads are cleared.
when it's really deep, I do have another vehicle ... I fire up the 78 FJ40. that's good to about 18".

mbsl98

Experience with same tires, non-Porsche. I have a BMW e93 6MT convertible with staggered 18" summer tires. Stock was Bridgestone RE050A's, 255's in rear. Winters are Dunlop snows on 17's, square (all 225's). A few winters ago, I had not changed over to winter tires when I was out in a surprise very light snow, perhaps a half inch on the pavement. I really had some difficulty getting that car back home to the garage on those tires - felt like racing slicks on that small amount of snow. With snows, the car is really quite good - night and day difference for sure. I just acquired a set of OEM staggered 18" Cayman wheels and Dunlop snows (the Porsche winter package) for my 2010 BS. I don't have experience with those tires on that car yet, but bound to be a big improvement and it won't see any really snowy roads. The overall performance in cold temperatures is the driving force for me here in Boston suburbs, but that experience with the BMW on summers sealed the decision. I change 12 snows per season, including my AWD wagon, and never think it is a bad decision. I do run my BMW AWD wagon in the occasional BMW club ice racing events, so I am pretty confident in my sense of the difference on slippery roads.

Portiagl

Here's what I ended up doing. Found a good deal on barely used Michelin Alpins (~500mi on all 4) on eBay. I found a few 18" winter rims/tire sets, but they were either too expensive, didn't have winter tires, no TPMS, or I just didn't like the wheels lol... My current tires are very worn so I'll have to throw them away anyway. I'll just turn my current wheels to my snow set, then hopefully find a summer set at a low price somewhere. At least I'll have all winter to find a deal! Thank you guys for all the good suggestions.

der Geist

I just got a set of winter tires and rims for my Boxster which will is my new winter daily driver. Saving the C4S from the tons of salt the put down here every winter. There is good advice here. You don't want to be driving around in less than 50 degrees on summer tires. Especially once the cold Oct/Nov rains start. Which is probably today for you.

lumber

Get snow tires and mount them on your rims. I get summer oem size so it looks normal. I'm not a fan of smaller skinnier snow tires. I rarely get caught in the snow. It's the cold temps I'm worried about...
I ran a gt4 all last winter no problem

zanwar

That's really brave, good for you. I would store my GT3 over the winter because of concerns over the adjustable suspension. I did drive a Granturismo though three winter seasons but that was a giant FIAT after all.

Kevinl

I ran 18 inch winter wheels with Pirelli Sottozero II tires on a Boxster 981 for a snowy winter in Boston, and they were great on any plowed or snowy road with sufficient ground clearance. Worked much better than my previous all wheel drive car with all season tires. While I was tempted to get a beater for the winter with the money, I really enjoyed driving the Boxster all year round. Here it is with its winter wheels....




These are for sale at present as the car has been relocated to California.

Dave in Chicago

Same exact setup here, 18's with the Sottozero II"s. All good, even with a soft top. Top still comes down if it's above about 35 F for me.